MURFREESBORO (AP) — State Rep. Joe Carr describes himself on his campaign website as a farmer and small businessman, but a financial disclosure form filed on Friday shows most of Carr's income last year came from his salary and per diem allowances as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports (http://bit.ly/1hpqLnE) the Lascassas Republican who is hoping to defeat Sen. Lamar Alexander listed a salary from the state of a little over $28,000. He earned just over $2,000 from cattle sales and another $19,000 as a consultant for a Murfreesboro automotive repair company.
Carr says in his campaign website that he and his wife own Cedar Snag Farm, but he did not list the 95-acre farm near Murfreesboro among his assets.
In filings with the state Legislature since 2008, Carr has alternatively said he owns and doesn't own Cedar Snag Farm. Currently, the website of the state Agriculture Department identifies the owner of Cedar Snag Farm as Bill Jakes.
But Carr says he lives on the family farm, and his campaign manager, Donald Rickard, told the paper that Cedar Snag is the name of the Carr family farm.
The newspaper could not reach Carr to explain the differences.
Carr filed his personal financial disclosure nearly eight months late. He was supposed to have filed the disclosure within 30 days of his entry into the Senate campaign last August. He eventually filed the forms required of all Senate candidates after asked about them by the newspaper.
Rickard told the paper that the omission was an oversight.
"As soon as it was brought to our attention, we worked on fixing the error," he said.
The penalty for late filing is $200.